Don't you remember?
by Rizhae
Summary: It's been years since Kano last saw Kido- but when they unexpectedly meet again, everything will be the same, right? Or will everything from their pasts simply be gone, as though it never happened at all? (Eventual Kano/Kido, amnesia, slight AU, future-fic)
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Hello everyone! This is my first time writing for this fandom, so I figured I should write something Kido/Kano, 'cause they're awesome. I'm hoping I didn't butcher their characters too badly, but since this is a future and sorta-AU fic, I took some creative liberties with it. I promise, there's a reason they're acting different from how they do in canon! (And I'm really sorry this intro chapter is so short, the next one will definitely be a lot longer!)

Enjoy~!

* * *

It had been years since he had seen her- it wasn't as though she had simply vanished, but rather she slowly faded away until by the time he realized she wasn't there, it was too late. There were times when he wondered where she had gone, but he rarely had time for idle-minded thoughts like that these days.

He currently was working two jobs, a convenience store and a pet store, just to cover the rent for his subpar apartment. It had fallen into a sort of routine, really- he would settle in a place for a while, get an apartment and a job and _almost_ look like he was settling down, only to completely uproot himself and move to some over town or suburb or part of the city.

He never went far though- he was drifting, but with a purpose even he wasn't totally sure of.

He was drifting, with the desperate hope that maybe one day, he would find her.

He had to.

* * *

"You headed home?" Kido's co-worker asked, leaning back in her chair and stretching her arms behind her head.

Kido ran her hands over the fabric of her slightly uncomfortable, business-y skirt in an attempt to get rid of wrinkles that weren't really there. "Yep- unless you have anything else for me to work on?" the other woman shook her head and Kido picked up her purse from under her desk, saying a quick goodbye over her shoulder before heading out into the bustling streets of downtown.

It had been an average day- work, lunch break, more work, head home. Nothing out of the usual, nothing breaking the routine. Just the way she liked it.

Except lately, she had been feeling an odd sense of longing, as though she was missing someone or something desperately. There was nothing she could think of that would have caused this, though, and so she tried to simply push it away.

As she was waiting at a crosswalk, she saw someone who looked both like a complete stranger and someone she knew dearly at the same time. He was dirty-blonde, although she couldn't tell if it was natural or dyed. But there was something about him- something that made her sift through her thoughts a few times, trying to place where she knew him from.

He turned,and she caught his eyes. She could tell he recognized her, too.

"_Kido?!"_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Wow, fast update~! :3 (It's mostly just because I'm procrastinating on homework though, sadly most updates won't be this often ;-;)

Thank you to the people who followed this~ I know the intro chapter wasn't really much, but this chapter starts the actual story ^^

Enjoy~!

* * *

"_Kido!"_ The blonde screamed, running towards her and not caring about how many people he shoved aside in the process. It was her, he was _positive_ it was her- so why didn't she look as happy to see him as he was ecstatic and relieved to see her?

The emerald-haired girl glanced up to meet his eyes for only a moment, expression flat save for her eyebrows knitted in concern, or maybe confusion. Kano didn't stop to register this until his arms were already around her, holding her tight, feeling her under her grip. She smelled a bit different, maybe like perfume, and her clothing was much more stiff and businesslike than the hoodies and old jeans he had always known her to wear, but it was undeniably her. _He found her..._

It was only a few moments later that Kano realized she wasn't hugging him back- and was, in fact, struggling frantically to escape his grip. He let her go, and she stumbled back a few steps. It took a few moments for the inquisitive stares of the people nearby to fade away, and it was only then that Kano turned his attention back to her.

"Who-are-you?" she asked through gritted teeth, looking ready to bolt at any moment. "And why do you know my name?" There was a defensive glare in her eye that was all too familiar- she thought she was in danger. The complete lack of recognition hurt, burning him to the very core.

"W-what do you mean? I'm Kano. Kano Shuuya. We... you know me." Kido shook her head, reaching into the purse she was holding and pulling out a cell phone. "No- no, please don't call the cops! I _swear_ I'm not crazy, please just hear me out!" her fingers hesitated and her eyes narrowed in distrust.

"You better explain yourself, blondie. I've never seen you before in my life." the words stung, but Kano knew that unless he said something now, she would walk away and he would lose her again.

He _couldn't_ lose her again.

* * *

He had followed her- he felt stupid and shameful for doing it, but he trailed after her, desperately trying to explain that he was _sure_ it was her, and that she should just _listen_ to him.

Honestly, even to himself, he sounded desperate and pathetic- and possibly delusional as well.

"I know everything you can't remember- there's things you don't know, right?" It was a shot in the dark, but the way she turned around with her eyes made it obvious enough that it was true. "Just... let me explain, alright?"

* * *

"I still don't see why you expect me to tell you my entire life story, when I still have no idea who you are. Are you stalking me? Are you a rapist? How do I know I can trust you?" the two were seated across from each other at a small sidewalk-side cafe,where Kano had finally persuaded her to accompany him. At the very least, Kano was glad to see that Kido's stubborn defensiveness hadn't changed over the years, even though now it was more of a hindrance than a help to him.

"I swear I'll explain. _Really._ But I just have to know how much you remember." Kano took a sip from his glass of iced tea, hoping she would trust him with at least enough information to get a vague idea of what the _hell_ was going on.

"Fine. But if I even think you _might_ be lying or tricking me, I'm calling the police on you." Kano nodded, knowing he had to tread lightly to avoid her becoming any more suspicious than she already was.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, either- just what you're comfortable with, okay?" Kido nodded, taking another sip of her drink before saying,

"I never knew my birth parents. I spent most of my early childhood in an orphanage, until I got adopted by the Tateyama family. They couldn't have any children of their own, so it was just me and the two of them. I was pretty average and life was good for a while, I guess, until my adoptive father- he was a teacher- got in trouble for going some... _bad things_ to two of his students." Kido paused to gauge Kano's reaction; he had been careful not to interrupt her since she started talking, soaking in every word and trying to process it.

There were so many things _wrong_ with her story- why wasn't Ayano in it? Or Seto? Or himself? And _why were so many details still so close to the truth_?

"What kind of bad things was he doing?" Kido frowned, looking into the depths of her cup as though it would give her the answer.

"I don't remember..." _So, there was something wrong with her memory-_ "I don't remember much at all of what happened for a few years then, actually." Even though she was fighting to keep her voice flat and void of emotion, it was obviously hard.

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about that if you don't want to." Kido looked up to meet Kano's eyes, and slowly nodded once.

"Anyway, I finished high school, but I dropped out after two years of community college. And here I am, I guess- nothing all that out of the ordinary. Now, you better explain what the heck you wanted to know about me for. Unless this is your idea of a good way of flirting with someone, insisting that you know then and then practically kidnapping them to have a snack with you?"

Kano shook his head; he almost wanted to smile at how sharp Kido's tongue still was, quick to insult and quicker to ask questions, but he tried to hold back as it wasn't particularly appropriate for the situation.

"Well- it's hard to explain, if you really don't remember any of what happened..." Kano stirred his lemonade with his straw. "I'm your brother. Or as good as, anyway." he added before Kido could scoff at him and mention something about them looking absolutely nothing alike. "And Seto. And... Ayano, too. But you don't remember at all, do you?" Kano paused, realizing how odd he sounded. "I'm sorry, that makes no sense. Umm... How about I just tell you my side of the story? I'll start from the beginning." Kido nodded gratefully, and Kano began telling the tale again.

"You, Seto, and I met in the orphanage- I don't know how old we were then, maybe five or so? Or maybe younger... But that's not the point. Anyway, after a few years there, we were all adopted by the Tateyama family, and-" Kido cut him off then.

"No, I... It was just me. Nobody else. Just me." It was evident by the way her voice cracked and her composure slipped, just slightly, that she really felt the pain of having been alone through that time, whether it was a real memory or not.

"I believe you, and I don't think you're lying, but- you have to believe me. Seto and I- we were there too. It was just the three of us against the world for quite a while. Until Ayano came along, and..." Kano couldn't form the thought into a complete sentence.

"She died, didn't she?" the question was proposed politely- the way a therapist or someone may have asked it, but certainly not the way the Kido he knew would have ever asked.

"Yeah... Yeah, she did." Kano said dryly. He could tell she didn't really remember it happening, it must have just been the way his voice started shaking, even now, at thinking about his red-scarfed older sister figure. "But really, none of this rings a bell to you at all?" Kido frowned, eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"I'm still not sure what I should be remembering, exactly. I know how my childhood went, and now you're telling me it never happened. Do you actually have any proof for any of this?" Kano shook his head. There was silence between the two for a moment, before Kido muttered, "It had something to do with eyes. All of this- tell me if I'm wrong, but there was something involving eyes. Right?"

_Does she mean the Mekakushi Dan? Does she remember?_ Kano nodded, thinking about how best to phrase his next comment.

"That's right, yeah... there was a _lot_ to do with eyes. But... you remember other things too, right? You remember Momo and Mary and Shintaro and everyone?" he put more enthusiasm into his words than he had intended, drawing the attention of a few people at nearby tables.

"Who?" Kido asked, "I don't even know why I though I remembered something about eyes. Maybe it was just a random guess." Kido pulled out her phone again and Kano was about to ask if she really intended to call the cops on him, but she simply glanced at the time before saying,

"I really should be getting home, sorry. Hmm... But I don't think you're lying about all this stuff, so I'll give you my number, 'kay?" Kano nodded, relieved that at the very least, she didn't think he was completely delusional.

They exchanged phone numbers and went their separate ways soon after that, and as Kano walked back to his apartment, he went over the evening's events in his head. When he had woken up that morning, he hadn't even known if Kido was still in the country, or even if she was still alive.

Now, he should be happier than he had been in years- indeed, as happy as he had been when they were carefree teenagers, forming a 'gang' of friends and living the very epitome of happiness. But he couldn't- because instead of being relieved to see him and falling into his arms and maybe even crying as he had expected (maybe even hoped?), she had given him nothing but a complete lack of recognition. Although it made sense that she wouldn't completely open up her soul to a complete stranger, it still hurt him that she thought of him as such.

Kano resolved then, that he would find a way of making her remember- there had to be something she knew, something she wasn't telling him. And he had to find out what it was. _He had to._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- So basically I have no excuse at all for not updating for so long. None at all. I just didn't want to. Sorry, guys. I'm back now though so updates will (hopefully) be sooner. I don't plan on making this a super-long story, either, just by the way~~

ANyway, sorry in advance for the cheesy and cliche ending to this chapter. I had no idea where else to end it. Yup.

(You might wanna leave me a review... or I just might sic a bloodthirsty Kuroha onto you ;D)

* * *

"Kido?" Kano was on his way from his first job to his second, and had decided to call her while he had a free moment.

"Hey, um... What's up? I can't really talk right now..."

"I was just wondering if you might be able to meet up with me later. I did a little research, and I think I might know why you forgot what you did." Kano smiled slightly at the sound of Kido's muted, surprised gasp.

"Already? Well, um... I get off work at five, so I think any time after that works." Kano noted absently that he felt more like he was asking her out on a date, than proposing that they have a serious conversation about her mental state. It was the sort of thing he would have thought ten years ago or more, jokingly asking her to go out with him just to see if he could get a rise out of her.

"Listen- I know it seems like I just met you, and I'll understand if you don't want to, but can you meet me at my apartment? I have some things I want to show you, and I just think it would be easier that way." The line was silent for a moment before Kid finally said,

"Fine. But if you try any funny business, any at all, I still won't hesitate to call the cops." Kano agreed and gave her his address, carefully hiding that he was a bit hurt by her level of distrust. It made sense, and was probably a good sign when he thought about it- a bit of her previous distrustful and self-reliant self was showing through, anyway. The only real difference was that instead of being the one to chide her about putting her guard dow sometimes, he was now trapped on the harsh outside of her walls.

"Of course. I'll see you later, then." Kano agreed, before pressing the 'end call' button on his phone and shoving it into his pocket, feeling an odd sense of accomplishment that he couldn't quite place. Was it some sort of residual emotion left over from the crush he had on her when they were teenagers? Or was it simply that the relief of having found her at all, after so many years, was still soaking in?

* * *

The soft, timid knock at the door resounded through the otherwise quiet apartment. Kano opened the door, revealing Kido standing there. How often had it been that he had hoped, wished, _prayed_, that Kido would come back- and now she had, she was standing _right there_- But at the same time it wasn't her, not really; rather, it seemed more like a complete stranger who was a carbon-copy of his sister in appearance only had decided to drop into his life.

He stood back so she should enter the apartment, closing the door behind her. She looked more casual than last time he had seen her- hair down loose around her shoulders, wearing what he supposed were stylish jeans with a ruby-red knit sweater that he noticed accented her eyes startlingly well. _A sweater... _he noticed, _not a hoodie._

"Um... Was there a reason you wanted me to come here instead of meeting somewhere else?" Kano became painfully aware that he hadn't greeted her, and had in fact yet to speak at all. Kido shifted her weight from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable. Kano nodded, almost- subconsciously using a bit of his eye power to help her be at least a little less on edge.

He led the way into the apartment's living room, taking a seat on the shabby, secondhand couch and gesturing for her to do the same. After a moment's hesitation she did, crossing her arms and jiggling one foot in agitation.

"So, what I wanted to show you- I mean, it might be stupid, but... I thought it would be worth a try. I have some pictures, just stuff from when we were little, and I thought that maybe if you saw them you'd remember, at least a little." Though their childhood had been difficult, there was still a small box of photos and mementos that Kano had kept over the years.

"Oh... Okay." Kido seemed to relax, just a bit, and it was then that Kano realized he had been putting extra effort into persuading her to listen to him, perhaps with just a little more help from his powers.

The box had originally been a shoebox- a very, _very_ long time ago- before Ayano had covered it in flower-print contact paper and covered it in shiny gold star stickers. Those had pretty much been the only stickers that were ever around, since her father was a teacher and used them to grade papers. 'Tsubomi, Shuuya, and Kousuke's stuff!' was written onto the side in shaky, childlike handwriting.

He felt a wave of sentimental sadness wash over him, but pushed it to the back of his mind- no need to get weepy when Kido had absolutely no idea why he would be going so.

The blonde carefully opened the lid, rifling through the odd arrangement of photos and papers, finally pulling one out from the very bottom; the corners were dog-eared and it was old enough to have come from a polaroid camera, but the picture itself was unaffected.

He handed it to Kido, gauging her expression as wide, bottle-green eyes roved over the image. The picture held four bright, smiling faces- it had been taken of the first day of school, the day he and Kido started third grade. Seto and Ayano were there as well, and all of them were hugging and grinning brightly at the camera. Kano peeled his eyes away from the sentimental image, instead looking back up at Kido.

She looked confused, an expression that was quickly becoming the norm for her. She lifted a single finger, pointing at her own eight-year-old face. There was a strange look of wonder on her features, as though she had just seen a magic trick and wasn't sure how it was done.

"That's... me. That's exactly how I looked when I was little, but-" she shook her head, discarding the thought. "That's definitely you." She pointed, and he nodded.

"Yeah... And that's Seto." he pointed. "And-"

"Red-scarf-girl." Kido mumbled, sounding completely certain. "Her name's... Aya?" Kano noted that since Ayano wasn't actually wearing her scarf in the picture, it must have been at least a trace of a memory.

"Ayano." he said, more stiffly than intended. She held onto the corners of the picture lightly, and stared long and hard at it. For a while, there was no change but for the tense atmosphere that hung around her. Then-

"Animal boy." she pointed at Seto. Kano let out a slight laugh, and Kido glanced at him questioningly.

"Of all the things to remember him for..." Kano shrugged. "But yeah, that's right."

"But... It wasn't just animals... was it?" Kano shook his head, but didn't elaborate. Instead, he put the picture back in the box and took out another. This one was from a few years later, of the entire Mekakushi Dan, smiling at the camera.

Kido's eyes widened, but it didn't seem to be in recognition; rather, she looked like she had just been asked to read something in a language she didn't speak- the image was there, but it was impossible to comprehend.

"I- I don't know who they are, but... I still feel like I know them somehow." The look of frustration on Kido's face was almost painful to look at- she was tying so hard to solve the puzzle of her thoughts, but it was missing so many pieces that it was practically impossible.

Kano, almost without thinking, wrapped his arm over her shoulder. He had meant to give her a hug and a bit of reassurance that he was there to help her, but he didn't expect her to spasm away from him, terror in her eyes.

"S-sorry," he said, "I was just, uh-" Kido cut him off.

"It's okay. I just... Don't like people touching me." Kano nodded, deciding not to press the issue, taking a breath to calm himself before saying,

"Anyway, this is the Mekakushi Dan. We were sort of a club, I guess you could call it, when we were teenagers." Kano figured that leaving eye powers out of the picture altogether for as long as possible would make the whole thing easier to explain. "This is Mary, and Shintaro, and..." he continued pointing, re-introducing her to each member's face in turn.

"They look... familiar. All of them do. Except I can't place where they're from, like it was a dream or something." Kano nodded.

"You still don't know what might have happened that would have made you forget all of this?" Kido shook her head.

"It still doesn't _feel_ like I forgot anything- I don't think you're crazy, exactly, not anymore... I don't think you're making it up. It's like when your parents tell you a story from when you were little, and you know you should believe them because it seems vaguely familiar, but you can't remember until they tell you. Does that make sense?" It didn't, really, but Kano nodded for her to continue.

"Like as soon as they say it, you think you remember... But it's more like you just get vague images of how you think it _might_ have been, not necessarily how it really _was_." Kido seemed to be thinking out loud more so than actually looking for a response, not that Kano minded- he knew what she was talking about, vaguely, but not well enough to add his own thoughts or elaborate.

Time passed much easier after that- the heavy, tense atmosphere that had hung between them before had all but disappeared, and if Kano let himself relax and didn't think about it too hard, he could almost imagine that nothing was wrong in the world.


End file.
